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Lawsuit seeks $1 million from Zeke Elliott over 2017 car crash

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is being sued for $1 million over a car crash that happened in 2017.

The crash, reported at the time as a fender bender, happened in January 2017 as Elliott was on his way to Cowboys headquarters, The Star, in Frisco.

Frisco police said the crash was "minor" and that there were no injuries. But there's nothing minor about the other driver's lawsuit claiming serious, permanent injuries that warrant $1 million in damages.

Attorneys on both sides of the lawsuit are saying the same thing that although the lawsuit names Elliott, it’s really just because of Texas law. The fight isn't focusing on Zeke.

Around 7 a.m. on January at the corner of Gaylord Parkway and Dallas North Tollway, Elliott's SUV collided with another car. His GMC Yukon collided with Ronnie Hill’s BMW 750.

TMZ photos show Elliott standing by at the scene. At the time, he brushed it off as no big deal. Now, Hill has filed a lawsuit against Elliott

The lawsuit states that Hill is filing the suit "reluctantly." Hill claims he suffered serious, life-altering injuries in the crash. The suit states Elliott ran a red light and crashed into Hill’s BMW and Elliott admitted at the scene to being at fault. Hill is seeking money for pain, medical expenses and mental anguish.

Quentin Brogdon is the attorney representing Hill in the suit.

“It is not an easy thing to sue a hometown hero like Zeke Elliott,” the attorney said.

In Texas, the law requires a person suing to name the other driver and not the insurer. Brogdon declined to talk about the insurer in this case. But he says although they've named Elliott in the suit, that's not who they are going after.

“Our fight is not with Ezekiel Elliott, personally,” Brogdon said. “And our fight certainly is not with the Dallas Cowboys.”

Elliott's attorney echoed Brogdon, saying in a statement "a claimant cannot file directly against the insurance company but must first name the individual insured (Elliott) in order to trigger the insurance coverage. That is exactly what occurred here. We expect Mr. Elliott's insurance provider to step in accordingly and handle the matter appropriately."

The new lawsuit is also raising questions about just how serious the accident was. It says Hill has sustained life altering injuries from the crash.

At the time of the crash, Frisco police said “there were no injuries sustained as a result of the minor crash."

“We are fully prepared to let a Collin County grand jury hear all the facts of this case,” Brogdon said. “And after that, the jury is going to understand and believe. And we'll meet that burden of proof to show that Ronnie Hill has sustained, as I've said, serious and life altering injuries.”

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Collin County court.

As for the $1 million figure, Hill's attorney says they are required to state a specific amount of money they are seeking. However, they have asked a jury to eventually determine what that figure would be.